After a record-setting comeback, the Kansas Jayhawks defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels 72-69 to win the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in program history.
Kansas set the tone early with a 7-0 run to start the game, but North Carolina responded and used a 16-0 run to help them go into halftime with a 15-point lead.
The previous largest comeback in National Championship history was in 1963 when Loyola Chicago came back from 15 points to defeat Cincinnati. Kansas was down 16 at one point in the first half.
Going into halftime, Kansas Head Coach, Bill Self, needed to make adjustments. His fast-paced team was a little slow and the game plan of playing through David McCormack on the low post against North Carolina’s star big-man, Armando Bacot, was simply not working.
Kansas flipped the script to start the second half and went on a 31-10 run, which propelled them to their historic comeback.
After the game, Coach Self commented, “I don’t know that we’ve ever had a team flip the script like we have in the NCAA Tournament, whether it be Miami in the Elite Eight or this game.”
Rather than having McCormack down low, Kansas inverted their game plan and had him operate higher on the floor, allowing more space for the Kansas wing players and guards to drive into the lane. Kansas also upped the tempo and played at a faster pace rather than the slower pace of the first half that favored North Carolina.
Kansas made necessary adjustments in order to win, but how does the topic of making adjustments relate to us as followers of Jesus?
When we think about it, our lives as followers of Jesus are filled with adjustments. Our first significant adjustment is when the Holy Spirit leads us to repentance and faith in Jesus and we adjust from being slaves to sin to slaves of righteousness.
Romans 6:16-18 (ESV) explains, “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the One whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.”
Then, once we are united with Christ and saved, the Holy Spirit leads us to make adjustments in how we live so that we become more like Him throughout the rest of our lives.
Galatians 5:22-24 (ESV) tells us, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
The difference between our adjustments and the adjustments made by Kansas is that we don’t have to trust in our own strength to make them. Scripture helps us understand it’s by the power of God we’re able to make adjustments that honor Him.
2 Peter 1:3 (ESV) is a great encouragement for us: “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.”
So what does this mean for us today? We can be reminded from Kansas’ halftime adjustments that we, too, should make important adjustments in our own lives.
If we’ve never trusted in Jesus for salvation, today is the day to adjust our eternal destination by placing our faith in Him.
For those of us who have placed our faith in Christ, today is another day to ask God for the strength to make adjustments away from sin and toward becoming more like Him.
I’m Luke Heaton and you can UNPACK that! Go Jayhawks!
PRAYER: God, thank you that I don’t have to rely on my own strength to be saved or to become more holy. It’s by Your grace that I am saved and it’s by Your strength that I become more like Christ. Help me continue to surrender to You and open my eyes to areas I need to make adjustments away from sin and toward holiness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Discussion Questions for PACKS:
- What was your salvation experience like? How did God help you adjust to seeing your need for salvation?
- What adjustments do you need to make to move away from sin and toward holiness?
